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The Shining Girls, a novel released by South African author Lauren Beukes in 2013, was once the source of an international bidding war between publishing houses. The author, Beukes, was previously well-known in her home country because she was a freelance journalist and previously published three other books set in her native country. The Shining Girls marked a departure in her work, as it takes place in Chicago during the Great Depression and delves into the territory of thriller and horror....

Could the Superrelease be the way to go for studios? In a story from Variety, a study from the scholars at London’s Cass Business School, “the Bauhaus-University of Weimar (Germany) and the Universities of Hamburg (Germany) and Missouri-Columbia (U.S.),” it seems that studios might be able to raise “their U.S. distribution revenues by 16% if they released their movies simultaneously in cinemas, on DVD rental and video-on-demand.” This study also said that “similar gains” could be achieved “for the U....

The original Sicario film, released in 2015 and directed by Denis Villeneuve, with a screenplay by Taylor Sheridan, was met with both commercial and critical success. In the first film, Emily Blunt plays an FBI agent who has been assigned to a mysterious task force in Mexico during the peak of the drug war between Mexico and the USA. Rounding out the cast were Benicio del Toro, Josh Brolin, Daniel Kaluuya, Victor Garber, and Jon Bernthal....

Simu Liu couldn’t keep his excitement after getting cast in the titular role in Marvel Studios’ Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Simu Liu was confirmed to be leading the Phase Four movie set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2019 during the Hall H presentation by Kevin Feige at San Diego Comic-Con. Liu was introduced to the live audience during the presentation, which turned the actor into an overnight sensation....

For seven seasons, Kurt Sutter’s award-winning Sons of Anarchy was the highest-rated ongoing drama series in FX history. Now, Sutter returns to that world with Mayans MC, a drama series pilot for FX and the next chapter in the SOA saga, which he co-wrote with producing partner Elgin James. Sutter will direct the pilot episode and serve as Executive Producer, with James serving as Co-Executive Producer. The pilot is being produced by Fox 21 Television Studios and FX Productions, with production scheduled to begin in March....

South Park returned to Comedy Central with a bang this week, earning some of the highest ratings the long-running animated series has seen in several years. With so much to work with since the series had last aired in 2019, fans had been waiting for months for the series to come back and satirize the events of 2020. Series creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker did just that with “The Pandemic Special,” the show’s first-ever hour-long episode, and their take on this year brought about incredible success for South Park’s return....

Sony is focused on casting the Untitled Spider-Man Reboot’s female lead, with Deadline New York reporting that Glee star Dianna Agron and Georgina Haig are among the top contenders to portray Gwen Stacy. The site also reports that Emma Stone, Mia Wasikowska and Dominique McElligott round out the top 5 contenders for the role in Marc Webb’s upcoming reboot. We had previously reported that actresses Lily Collins and Teresa Palmer were once in consideration as well....

Following in the dramatic tradition of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Spike TV’s new unscripted series, Murder, follows real people as they try to solve a real homicide pulled directly from police files. Produced by reality innovator Bunim-Murray Productions, this compelling and all-too- real alternative series premieres on Tuesday, July 31 (10:00 - 11:00 PM, ET/PT) on Spike TV. Murder is hosted by Detective Tommy Le Noir, a 27-year Arlington, Texas decorated law enforcement veteran who is responsible for multiple capital murder convictions....

As CBS All Access continues production on Season 2 of Star Trek Discovery, there will now be a big change behind the scenes as the showrunners have departed. Gretchen Berg and Aaron Harberts, who were originally brought in to replace original showrunner/series creator Bryan Fuller, have stepped down as showrunners, and will be replaced by executive producer and co-creator Alex Kurtzman. Here’s what CBS Television Studios had to say in a statement about the showrunner change....

“A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away,” are the words that so many love to read and see pop on-screen as they indicate the beginning of nearly anything Star Wars related. After the release of the original film, which was later retitled A New Hope, in the 1970s, Star Wars saw a surge in popularity from sci-fi fans everywhere. This popularity led to the creation of a complete trilogy — including The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi — which would later turn into a saga with a total of nine films....

A great villain is needed for a story to prosper. Without one, there would be no true emotional draw, and any tale would perish beneath the absence of a domineering figure looming over a quest for good, peace, or tranquility. The removal of a constant adversary make the hero’s journey far too easy. Of course, villains are not created for the sole purpose of causing chaos: their presence demands that a protagonist must remove themselves from their comfort zone and embrace life’s most distressing moments as an opportunity for growth....

Star Wars is a huge franchise that has spanned many decades. With a constantly expanding universe full of new content and characters, Disney and Lucasfilm have gifted us with the ultimate library of settings, stories, and characters. From our favorite heroes like Luke Skywalker to tyrannical gangsters like Jabba the Hutt, the universe is jam-packed with complex characters, both human and otherwise, to keep us interested. As with any other franchise, some characters are beloved by fans while others are despised....

The Jedi, previously known as the Lord Jedi, devoted themselves to protecting the state of peace across the galaxy in Star Wars. They strived to reach tranquility while mastering the Light Side of the Force. Jedi were viewed as guardians over democracy prior to the reign of the Galactic Republic as they defended against the threat of the Sith. Those who identified as Jedi were asked to contend with their pacifist attitudes and participate in the Clone Wars....

Stephen King has had his work adapted into film well over 50 times, with many of them being huge hits, such as It (2017), The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, Misery, and more. These adaptations have cemented King in pop culture as one of the most well known authors of our time as well as one of the top choices to adapt a movie from. However, all the excitement that comes with Stephen King’s name and modifying his work for the big screen also comes with King’s criticism....

When it comes to wordsmiths of musical theater there are few who have been able to match the lyrical dexterity of Stephen Sondheim, and for that reason, the confirmation of the songwriting master’s death in the early hours of Friday morning comes as with deep sadness for any fan of Broadway musicals. Sondheim was 91, and passed away at this home in Roxbury, Connecticut, Attorney F. Richard Pappas said, revealing that the maestro had been celebrating Thanksgiving with friends just a day before his sudden death....

Steve Carell is attached to star in Mandate Pictures’ Dogs of Babel. Writer Jamie Linden (Ten Year, Dear John, We Are Marshall) adapted the best-selling novel for the big screen. David Heyman of Heyday Films, Corey May and M. Dooma Wendschuh of sekretagent Productions, and Steve Carell of Carousel Productions will produce. Mandate president Nathan Kahane will executive produce. Vance DeGeneres and Charlie Hartsock who work with Carell at Carousel will co-produce....

The writer of Grosse Pointe Blank and director of Accepted discuses his hilarious new time traveling film starring John Cusack Steve Pink is best known for writing the contemporary comedy classics Grosse Pointe Blank and High Fidelity, which starred his good friend and producing partner John Cusack. In fact, the Chicago born friends along with fellow producer D.V. DeVincentis formed a production company called New Crime Productions, which developed the popular films....

It’s official: production on Stranger Things Season 3 has begun, according to a new Netflix announcement. There have been reports of new castings over the last several weeks, sparking speculation amongst fans. The original cast has also been in the news recently when it was reported that they were all getting much deserved pay raises. While this is all good news, hardcore Stranger Things fans have only had their mind on one thing, which is when filming is going to begin as well as when the show will premiere....

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Stranger Things Season 4. Stranger Things’ fourth installment to the series has broken streaming records, banking past 1 billion viewed hours on Netflix. Arguably one of the darkest seasons yet, the introduction of the all-time big bad Vecna has fans reeling for resolution. The beloved characters and their hometown’s fate lies in the unknown and is presumably turning upside down. However, one character who quickly rose to be a fan favorite, Eddie Munson who is played by Joseph Quinn, seems to have had his fate sealed in the volume two finale....

When one hears the words Sesame Street. the young and not so young have memories flood back to them, not just from your childhood, but catching an episode in your teens, or watching with your children, and the connections we have with the program and its residents. Sesame Street has been delivering a message of acceptance and inclusivity with grace for over 50 years. Did I mention it also manages to teach The Three R’s with song and dance and life lessons all rolled into a universally-pleasing package?...